On Saturday night, Argentina’s Lucas Matthysse will set foot inside of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for his 36th professional boxing match.

Having clamored for a fight with WBA/WBC junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia for quite some time, Matthysse (32-2, 30 KO's) instead sets his sights on the capable Mike Dallas Jr. (19-2-1, 8 KO's) in a Showtime-televised attraction while holding on to the hope that bigger fights still await him.

Following his hotly-contested split-decision loss to Devon Alexander in June of 2011, a fight many had him winning, the 30-year old Matthysse has put together a four fight winning-streak, looking especially effective in his two most recent stoppages over Humberto Soto and Ajose Olusegun.

Speaking to members of the press inside of the Long Life Fit Gym ahead of the Dallas clash, Matthysse seems pleased with his progression as a fighter.

“I feel really good,” he claimed. “I’m improving every day. I’m stronger. I’m getting better. I feel very good with what I’m doing right now.”

Such a fight would surely be mouth-watering to fans, yet Matthysse was quick with his answer when asked if he would prefer to face Maidana or Garcia next.

“Danny Garcia,” Matthysse stated through translator Oscar Gonzalez. “Because he’s a world champion and I’m the interim champion and I would like to fight him.”

Garcia is presently lined up with a February 9th assignment against former two-division champion Zab Judah, the man responsible for handing Matthysse his first professional defeat.

Matthysse didn’t have much to say about the matchup, but he does like the champion from Philadelphia to emerge victorious, noting “I think that Garcia is going to win.”

When eyeing the 140-pound landscape, there is no denying the presence of former lightweight king Brandon ‘Bam Bam’ Rios, who has expressed his interest in a meeting with Matthysse and anyone else worth fighting in the weight class.

The two men actually crossed paths a few years back in Southern California and Matthysse too expressed his interest in a Rios duel.“About two years ago I sparred at Robert Garcia’s boxing gym in Oxnard and I remember that,” Matthysse recalled of their session. “I wouldn’t mind fighting Brandon Rios.”

The only problem with such a scenario is that Golden Boy, who promotes Matthysse, and Top Rank, who oversees the career of Rios, are presently in the midst of a feud that has seen them doing no real business with one another.

Matthysse is fully aware of the cold war taking place but doesn’t let it dampen his enthusiasm.

“I know the situation, what’s going on between the companies, but I hope maybe one day that could happen," he stated.

*** For more of Chris Robinson's coverage from Wednesday's media workout, including exclusives with Jesus Soto Karass, Selcuk Aydin, Mike Dallas Jr. and more of Matthysse, please check out his Boxing Directory at www.HustleBoss.com and visit his other exclusives below...

[QUOTE=ElBossHogg™;12950329]Rios is the face of boxing.
Plus he stops Garcia like he was going to do in sparring before they stopped it early, and team Lucas said he was sick (maybe was) and they were supposed to come back for sparring in a week and they never been back since.
This is t...

[QUOTE=flint]why would lucas sign with toprank? Goldenboy said that they are open and willing to fight against toprank fighters. Arum is the problem you idiot.[/QUOTE]
LOL...We have a smart guy in the room.
He's not fighting Rios if he's not with Top Rank so STFU. It's a 0% chance of happenin...